Open Faced Egg Sandwich

One of my favorite things to make for breakfast is an open faced egg sandwich. I learned to make hobo eggs from my friend, Kim, years ago. This is a slightly healthier version since I toast the whole wheat bread and then layer with a slice of sweet ham and fried egg. Today's version was topped with some grated Kerrygold Dubliner cheese and a bit of parsley. Mix it up on other days with sliced proscuitto, applewood smoked bacon, Serrano ham, lox on toasted Challah, English muffin, cornbread, focaccia, French bread, Cuban bread ... you get the idea.

Shrimp and Grits (Cakes)

I met Chef Samantha Enzmann at a Whole Foods Low Country Favorites cooking class. She's a wonderful chef (check out her place The Mercantile) and does a great job teaching. I love shrimp and grits so the class was right up my alley. I learned to make a lovely shrimp broth that's used to finish the saute of bacon, shrimp, tomatoes, corn and okra. The grits cakes included cream and grated Kerrygold Dubliner cheese, which is a wonderful sharp white cheddar type cheese.

I made this dish for my family and the only change that I made was that I used Benton's Smoked Country Bacon that gave this dish a wonderful dimension and heartiness. The meal was a big hit. My husband took some to work the next day and as he re-heated it, his co-workers said that it smelled like a restaurant in the office.

Chinese New Year

Each Chinese New Year, we set out the obligatory citrus fruit bowl to welcome the new year. It's filled with Chinese grapefruit, oranges, tangerines and the like.

We enjoyed dinner with family and friends and it included a little bit of "everything" such as roast duck, roast pork, bbq pork, chicken, steamed veggies and rice. We made pork and shrimp spring rolls using bean curd sheets which yield a light crispy exterior reminiscent of phyllo. The spring roll filling is made of chopped pork and shrimp, bamboo shoots strips seasoned with oyster sauce and sesame oil. At one end of the diamond of the bean curd sheet, roll a small handful of the pork-shrimp filling, folding the sides in as you approach the other end of the diamond and seal with egg wash. Heat canola oil in a deep pan until hot but not smoking. Deep fry for a few minutes until golden brown.